Facts are totally out of style and all, but here a few you might want to have handy to keep things in perspective.

1. In the past three years, the deficit has fallen faster than in any three-year stretch since World War II. Republicans do a nice job of scaring people about the deficit. But they’re in denial of a few basic facts. The deficit President Obama inherited was over $1 trillion—entirely the result of President Bush’s policies combined with the cost of the wars and the bad economy. Yes, President Obama continued the Afghanistan War and temporarily extended the Bush tax cuts for the rich—two of the only Obama policies the Republicans endorsed. Still, the deficit is shrinking fast. “From fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2012, the deficit shrank 3.1 percentage points, from 10.1 percent to 7 percent of GDP,” according to Investors’ Business Daily.

2. The U.S. recovery has been one of the best in the world. Since the financial crisis began on Wall Street and spread across the globe, America’s recovery has been frustrating but it is still the “sole bright spot of the world.” Meanwhile, Europe has fallen into recession after dramatic spending cuts made worse by the uncertainty of their weak monetary union. Individual states united by a common currency making their own decisions, along with huge spending cuts, sounds exactly like the Republican agenda. Aren’t you glad we didn’t go along with that?

3. The GOP is the food-stamp party. Yes, most counties where food-stamp consumption is growing vote Republican. The states that contribute the most federal taxes almost all vote Democratic, while all of the lowest tax-contributing states vote Republican. Despite preaching personal responsibility, the GOP encourages food-stamp consumption by cutting education and cracking down on unions that ensure workers earn a living wage. Yes, about 40 percent of those on food stamps work, but don’t earn enough to get off assistance.

4. Ronald Reagan socialized medicine in the United States. Democrats love to point out that after Ronald Reagan cut federal taxes drastically, he raised them over and over. He also compromised with Democrats before Republicans discovered that was explicitly forbidden in the Bible. But most Republicans don’t know that one of the reasons our health care system is the most expensive in the world (while 30-40 million Americans remain uninsured) is because Ronald Reagan signed the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, which mandates that no emergency room may turn a patient away because he or she cannot pay. When that he or she cannot pay, guess who does? Romneycare was the first attempt to do away with this “free rider” system. And guess what Romneycare became?

5. America creates more jobs when a Democrat is in the White House. And here’s some good news to cheer your crazy Republican uncle. He’s probably oblivious to the fact that the housing market is recovering dramatically. Housing starts are at a four-year high and home prices leapt last month, again. If that doesn’t still him, you may to defer to the favorite fact of the Secretary of Explaing Sh*t, Bill Clinton:

In the 51 years since President Kennedy took the oath of office, Republicans have had 28 years in the White House; Democrats have had 23. In the same half-century, the economy has produced 66 million private-sector jobs—42 million of them under the Democrats, 24 million under the Republicans.

Also this:

Over the last 66 years, all Democratic administrations have presided over DECREASING DEFICITS , while all Republican administrations, except Eisenhower, have presided over INCREASING DEFICITS.

I liked country/folk as a kid, John, and even though I got heavily into jazz ion college, always kept a candle burning. Seeing the likes of John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, Kris Kristofersson, Steve Goodman and so many others at the Main Point turned it into a blaze. I still have the record collection of my twenties and thirties and while it is dominated by th […]

Sam Calagione, that is, whose thoughts on A-B InBev’s recent activities re: the craft world I pointed you to yesterday, but a report in this morning’s edition of the invaluable Beer Business Daily more than lives up to the challenge … Continue reading →